


Let's Be Friends (But Let's Be Lovers Instead)

by blacklightkale



Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, First Dates, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Internalized Homophobia, Mild Sexual Content, Secret Crush, Self-Esteem Issues, Sexuality Crisis, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2019-08-21 09:29:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16574009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blacklightkale/pseuds/blacklightkale
Summary: impulsively starting a chaptered fict cause im a dumb bimbo lmao.ill probably keep updating this and future chapters overtime to make sure they flow together. so check back to see if something has changed. i dont really like writing chapters as i go but i'd also hate to screw a good story up, just for the record.also very homophobic of y'all for the lack of dee/waitress ficts. just say u hate lesbians and go.i hope u liked this.





	1. [Prologue & Chapter 1] Charlie's Song

**Author's Note:**

> impulsively starting a chaptered fict cause im a dumb bimbo lmao.
> 
> ill probably keep updating this and future chapters overtime to make sure they flow together. so check back to see if something has changed. i dont really like writing chapters as i go but i'd also hate to screw a good story up, just for the record. 
> 
> also very homophobic of y'all for the lack of dee/waitress ficts. just say u hate lesbians and go. 
> 
> i hope u liked this.

She doesn’t get it. Why is she, unexpectedly, harping over the waitress so much?

Charlie, every single day, would somehow penetrate his obsession for the waitress in every conversation. After his hundredth ramble about her something bloomed within; something similar to jealousy, but it’s wasn’t jealousy. She stared at the walls to avoid hearing about her since then.

When she saw the waitress walking across the street from the bar one morning she couldn’t take her eyes off of her. In theory, maybe it was the way she looked causing her to feel something. _But it wasn’t jealousy_. The foreign feeling had been haunting her for weeks. There was no way she could tell anyone, nor Charlie for that matter.

It was so sudden. There's just  _something_ about her...

* * *

Dee power walked to the office and shut the door tightly to get away from the gang for at least a minute while they argued on about another malingering scheme. She fell into the dirty chair, exhaling a sigh and rubbing the temples of her head. Her minute timed up when Mac swung open the door.

“Dee! We have a plan. Here me out...”

Dee didn’t respond while he blabbed on; she didn’t even peep an eye at him.

“What do you think? Dee?”

Still, silence. 

Frank yelled from afar, “Is she gonna do it!?”

Dee needed a cry. So, before the bottled-up tears could fall on her face, she shot up from the chair and stormed past Mac, swiftly heading herself outside from the back door. The gang fell silent; then they went back to chattering. Charlie didn’t.

* * *

Dee hadn’t showed up to the bar yet and it was already noon. They weren't really worried about her, just angry that she couldn’t bother to help with their plan, so they brainstormed a loophole where Dee couldn't fill it. However, Charlie received a last minute mission to see if she could still show up. He knew by heart the way to her apartment. Go through that street, take a turn there, pass the crack houses, and there she would be.

During that journey his mind flashed back to yesterday. It could’ve been anything, like refusing to be a part of their plan, or maybe she felt sick, but those didn’t seem to fit the picture; he somehow picked up a hiccup under her breath in those seconds. Something clearly had been bothering her, since for the past few days she seemed quite distant. 

Dee answered the knock on her door. Seeing Charlie at her doorway fused annoyance in her tone. 

“Hey Dee, I…” He paused when he glared at her puffy face. Her baby blue eyes were drowned in tears. His Liberty Bell heart cracked in that moment and he stuttered before he got his words out.

“Are you ok?” Charlie asked.

Dee’s face sneered at him. “Do I _look_ ok?”

“Uh, no, I mean-”

“What do you want?”

Charlie slicked his hair back and shot a smirk out of nervousness. “Well, you see, the guys sent me over to come get you but, um…”

Dee shut the door on his face. He stood there without a clue on what to do. When he walked out of the building it suddenly struck him. Instead of going back to the bar, he bolted back to his apartment to grab something. A few things, actually.

* * *

Dee groaned hearing a knock on her door. It’s 7 in the goddamn morning. While she rubbed her sleepy eyes she peeked the door open to see who it was, but ended up taken aback when she got pressed against the wall by the door. Her brows raised in confusion seeing Charlie with his piano, his journal, and the obvious spray paint on his face. “Charlie what the hell are you doing?”

“I know what will make you feel better, Dee!"

He ecstatically put together his set; his piano on the stand, his journal pages flying by, and he rubbed his nose with shaky hands. Maybe he went overboard with the paint last night. "Frank is pissed off at me for not helping set up the bar yesterday but this felt more important!"

"Charlie it's not-"

"Just listen! I worked really hard on it."

Despite feeling like shit she let him do his thing. Dee sat herself down to hear his song.

 _‘Dee, you’re a pretty decent friend,_  
  
_and I really hate it when I see you sad!'_

Charlie hit his high notes to a point where a window could break in seconds. He paused for a brief moment before continuing.   
  
_'You can be mean but that doesn’t matter,_  
  
_What matters is that you feel better,_  
  
_so we can all hang out together!_  
  
_Dee, I love to see you smile,_  
  
_and I hope it happens again for awhile!’_

Dee stared at him as he shot a pose. It didn't sound like he worked hard on it, but she softly smiled anyways. “That’s very nice of you, Charlie.”

“So...will you come down to the bar and hang out with us now?”

Dee nervously pursed her lips together. “I just need to figure some stuff out right now.”

Charlie nodded. He washed the paint off of his face and dismantled his set. He made sure to give Dee a hug before he left. She didn’t particularly like that, but appreciated it nonetheless.

Now she was alone with herself again. Alone with her thoughts about _her_   to drive her up the wall again. Her body slumped against the couch while digging her hand in the cushions. The bottle of wine she pulled out sloshed around and it went down her throat smoothly. There was a lot of guilt and shame building up; if Charlie found out there would be hell to pay. God, if only she could share a glass with the waitress right now. If there was one thing that connected them it was the ridiculous existence of Charlie Kelly.

Despite the negative feelings right now, for the first time, she allowed herself smile at the thought of her.


	2. Sweet Dee's Crisis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *tap dances* its getting hot in here 
> 
> trying really hard to intertwine two stories at once here pray for me
> 
> and yes. for your satisfaction (and mine winkwink) we have a Spicey Dee Moment
> 
> im too good with f/f ships. i am replenishing the lesbian crops.

Dee continuously straightened her hair to the point of frying it. She dug her hands through her makeup drawer, pondering hastily what will look good together, ravaging her closet to find the perfect outfit, and when all was done, she stood stiff in the middle of her living room. Coming to her senses moments later, she grabbed her bag and made her way to the bar.

Charlie turned his head when the door opened and glanced at Dee walking in. “Dee! You’re lookin’ sharp, what’s the occasion?”

The occasion was looking good in case the waitress came by. She couldn’t say that, of course. Dee kept trying to get a word out of her mouth until Frank interrupted her.

“She’s in on the plan!” Frank hastily grabbed something behind from the bar and shoved it up to her body. “Deandra, I need you to stand outside of the corner and flash this around.”

“Frank, I thought...you said we should get someone more sexier…”

“She’s as good as it gets, Mac. Broads aren’t cheap for hire these days!”

Dennis stepped in. “Ok Frank, but why did you leave it to Charlie writing the sign?”

_‘Cum to Paddy’s bar! Free bouze twoday!’_

Dee felt like throwing up. The idea that she had to stand outside with a stupid sign and imagining the waitress walking by to see that itched at her skin. “Are you serious with this? I'm gonna look like a bimbo.”

“Uh, I agree, ‘cause we need someone hotter.” Mac protested, and subtly pointed to himself.

“Or we can try getting more money to hire a hotter chick...” Frank’s raspy voice intervened.

“No, christ,” Dennis deeply sighed, “I have a better idea. Charlie, stay with Dee at the bar for now while we figure something else out.”

“Can I flash my sign outside?”

Dennis rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure, go ahead…”

Charlie wasted no time grabbing his illiterate sign and heading to the corner nearby.

Now Dee had time to herself. She cracked open a Coors and chugged away. When she tipped back her bottle she caught her face in the reflection. The boys obviously picked on her looks all the time but she never took any of it to heart. But now it’s there, stinging at her confidence, and injecting it with doubt in her self esteem. There was no hope in gaining a winning chance that she could woo the waitress with her looks. Dee started spreading her hands all over her face to wipe the makeup off. Now she just looked even worse.

While she wallowed in self pity she could hear Charlie yelling from afar. At first she couldn't bother to understand what he was saying until she heard the buzzword. Dee nearly spilled over her third bottle of beer as she hurriedly paced to the window to get a glimpse. He was trying to get the waitress' attention but she kept walking and ignoring him. Smart move on her part. But then Charlie started charging towards her.

The waitress panicked as Charlie got closer. Before she geared up to run away, in a split second, Dee flew out the doors and glomped onto Charlie to pull him back, lashing her tongue at him to get back to the corner. The waitress looked in awe as Dee struggled to shove Charlie away from her. Dee kept fighting and gave her a look that picked up as “he’s batshit crazy, I know” sort of look. Without a word, the waitress went back to her walk. Maybe she didn’t look appealing in the moment, nor acted sane for that matter, but the one thing she had always been flawless at was getting the rat king himself away from her. In her eyes, that was all she needed to woo her. 

* * *

Days later, after trial and error, the boys came back with a laptop in hand and a flash drive sticking out. Dennis proudly displayed their video onto their screen. It was an ad for Paddy’s but set up in a way to make you feel sad, including with _In The Arms Of An Angel playing_ in it. It seemed ridiculous at first glance but they eventually all came to an agreement to upload it online. Thank god she didn’t have to be a part of it.

“Wait, where’s Dee in all of this?”

“Yes, Dee,” Dennis looked over to his sister, “she’s gonna help panhandle money with Cricket.”

Her head felt like it was going to explode. They were putting her in such vulnerable situations. Not that she hadn’t done that before, but this time is different; it felt on purpose. “Do I have to look homeless too?”

“No, we’re gonna put you in multiple disguises so you can keep giving him money, so it will get the ball rolling. If you were to be homeless, everyone'd just be giving you tampons.” Dennis explained.

He's right, and for once she's glad that he's right. "You make a point."

* * *

Dee gained solace when she arrived home. She desperately wanted to sink into her couch and let her mind unwind the entire day. However, the minute she sat down is when it rang in: her curly hair bouncing when she walked, her figure swaying in the wind, the way she talked either to their gang or to anyone that she actually liked; there was something more about her that was on the tip of her tongue and doping her up. Whatever it was, it flipped a switch inside of Sweet Dee.

She was too busy with her thoughts to acknowledge her hand slipping down under her jeans. Her innocent thoughts made a u-turn in seconds when the pleasure kicked in. She hallucinated the feeling of the waitress’ hands snaking up her thighs and breathing on her neck in her fantasy. She’d _kill_ to have the waitress on top of her right now. The further her thoughts went down the rabbit hole, the closer she was to relief. Dee’s hand cramped the harder she frisked herself and her legs vibrated when the speed kicked up. A sense of shame tried to interfere in the moment but the sin was already too good to exorcise. In the midst of her sensual moaning she let out a gasp, her body stiffened, her hand clamped up, and then her mind went blank in a snap, all in the thick of her orgasm.

When she roped in her body to relax is when the shame came-to. It’s not like anybody knew what she was doing or thinking; it was the idea of that notion settling into the indignity now bugging her. Dee sat up to shake it off and headed to the bathroom to wash her hands. She lifted her head up to see herself in the mirror. ‘What the hell is wrong with me?’ she thought. She went from seeking out handsome (probably married) rich guys, to harping over just one single woman in the working class, with a history of alcoholism, and sleeping with Dennis. And Frank. And Charlie. _And she’s a woman._

Even with those disturbing thoughts in mind it wasn’t enough to sway her obsession. It’s just a crush. It had to be a crush, or her mind playing tricks on her, just something that didn’t come back around to the idea of being put in Mac’s shoes. All she really needed was a drink and nothing more.

Dee poured herself a glass of wine and viewed the city out of her window. The bright lights of Philly made her feel warm. Even though she lived in a cruddy part of it, it still felt comforting. If only she could stand under a beaming lamppost with her. If only she could.


	3. The Gang Fucks It Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im surprised at myself for keeping this going.
> 
> and i promise this'll kick up next chapter. i just want to make sure everything makes sense, ya know?
> 
> pls enjoy my craft

Panic ensued. Everyone looked around the bar frantically for the flash drive.

“Frank, why didn’t you upload it!?” Dennis yelled

“I never had it!”

The blame game circled around person to person. Everyone pointed fingers to Dennis who last had it. Of course, he would never lose such a piece of work that he mastered into one stick of technological glory, so he denied ever touching it. The gang tossed up their pockets, shirts, mouths, shoes, and everything else where a flash drive could inhibit. Chaos ensued.

“Ok, wait...” Dennis interrupted. “I think we need to go through everyone's apartments to see which one of you left it behind.”

Frank called bullshit. “It was in _your_ laptop, Dennis!”

“Yeah and I left it on the counter with the flash drive still inside!”

Everyone turned to Mac. He held his hands up in defense. “I didn’t even notice he left it on the counter!”

Dee yelled, “ _Shut up!_ Just start looking around for god sakes!”

They started at Charlie’s place. Even though he could look through his own home just fine, and Frank too, everyone else couldn’t bare to touch anything that laid around on his floor. Dee held her breath and searched beneath his cushions. She could feel more than just dust bunnies within. But through her endeavors into the unknown, while she pulled out junk after junk, a picture of the waitress came up. It clearly was from a while ago because she looked different, but it was still her. No one was looking so she swiftly shoved it in her pocket.

The next place had to have been lost in Dennis & Mac’s apartment. The twins made a b-line to Dennis’ room as Frank and Charlie headed to Mac’s room. Mac himself walked all around the living area to find it. Up and down, in and out, still missing in action.

The last place was Dee’s place. She’s adamant she has nothing to do with the flash drive but they charged in nonetheless. They had no regard for her home; they flung open cabinets, tore through her closet, tipped over her couch, so Dee had to manage each and every one of them. Nothing came up.

Frank threw his hands up in defeat, “Where the hell could it be?!”

There had to be one place left. They all turned to the window and observed the city buildings. “Cricket.”

It didn’t even take them a minute to find him when they saw him pressed up against a brick wall and panhandling for money.

“Cricket!” Mac shouted from afar. “The flash drive, you have it!”

Cricket looked up at them in confusion. “What?”

“You know what we’re talking about dipshit now give it back!”

“The flash…” Cricket dwelled for a moment. “Oh! That flash drive! Yeah, I bought it off of Charlie.”

The gang turned to Charlie in disbelief.

“How much did you give him, Cricket?” Mac questioned.

“Uhh….10 dollars.”

“ _TEN DOLLARS!?_ ”

Charlie’s defense?

“I was hungry and got lunch..."

Dee looked down at the ragged man, “You should still have it, right?”

Cricket smirked. “Yeah, I used it to chip off the calluses off my skin. You can have it back for 10 dollars.”

They recoiled. There was no use for it now if it was clogged up with his dead skin. 

They walked back to the bar with nothing in their hands and feeling hopeless. Back to zero. Even though they gained nothing it provided them another opportunity to brainstorm other ideas. She listened in but she fidgeted with the photo in her pocket as she did, feeling the crevices and it’s vintage texture, and thank goodness Charlie did nothing more with it.

* * *

Dee, pacing back and forth, harshly lectured herself in her living room. She was either going to sit around and mope for the rest of her life or she was going to take a risk. She gagged. _Oh god_. The thought of going up to the waitress and gagging like that would say it all. The anxiety was too real but she took deep breaths to relax. She'd never felt nervous around her before in her life until now so she needed to jump back to her old mindset to properly function in front of her.

The plan is simple: find her, get her attention (without her running away), and be friendly when asking her out. Simple in theory. Not so much in reality.

As she kept all of that in mind she laid out all the outfits she had available. It's true that girls spend too much time on their outfits but Dee used up the entire night obsessing over it. She showered more than a person should shower and shaving her body until she was ridden of any hairs. Appearance is everything right now.

The likelihood of getting turned down after years of torturing her with the schemes the gang put on her was high, though. This wouldn't be complicated if she hadn't done the things she had done to the waitress for all these years. But she had to make an impression. The right words needed to be said. Charlie’s methods had to be avoided at all costs. The last thing she wanted was for the waitress to mistake her intentions for his.

The early sun started rising. It was so peaceful not to overthink everything and melt away in a fantasy for the time being. She traced her fingers around the photo of the waitress, dwelling deep into her silhouette and practiced her lines to the image, doing her damnedest not to gag. This had to be done or else she’d spend the rest of her days drinking it away. Like right now. The wine tasted so good but not when it’s cheap and tasted like misery. So one glass is enough.


	4. Sweet Dee's Crisis 2: Electric Boogaloo

The morning sun shined through the windows onto a frantic Dee. Hair like a rats nest and eyes wide in crazy mode, she spent her time overthinking and attempting to call it off. But nothing would be resolved if she didn’t at least try. 

She brushed her hair faster than she can down a beer; she curled her hair in wide curls and kept burning herself in the process. Even with shaky hands, she bravely put on her makeup, doing her best not to look trashy. She really needed a glass of wine. No, she had to stay sober, or it wouldn’t go well at all. This was a serious matter.

After spending hours of preparing herself for the moment, it’d already been a half-hour scoping her out, and her feet ached from the constant hustling. She felt like a slug, inside and out. Dee kept doubting the waitress’ existence for the day, thinking that maybe she was home, or out of town, or just anywhere else that wasn’t within her distance. The cynicism kept sinking deeper and deeper. Maybe it might’ve not been the right day for this.

She sadly made her way back to her apartment. Before reaching a corner she paused and took a deep breath. This shouldn’t be happening but yet there she was, seeking out a date with a woman. It still bothered her; it’s like a dirty secret she had to keep away from everyone. Even if it was a different woman the feelings would still remain the same. Everything was too confusing, and she needed more than just wine, but straight up liquor.

Dee felt her phone buzz and gave it a quick peek.

“Dennis, 12:25PM >where are you?”

She didn’t want to reply; they’ve already tortured her enough this week. She dumped the phone back in her purse, and as she made her way around the corner, something halted he way.

“Hey! Watch where-”

The waitress unenthusiastically gazed at her.

Dee’s feet were glued to the cement, shell-shocked seeing her in surprise, but she had to hurry herself to say something, “ _Hey!_ Great to see you! I actually wanted to ask you something…”

The waitress rolled her eyes and attempted to move past Dee.

Dee pleaded, “Woah, hey, wait seriously I wanna ask you something!”

The waitress exhaled a deep sigh and stood impatiently.

Dee cleared her throat. “I was wonder if you maybe wanted to, you know, um, go out to lunch when you have the time?”

The waitress raised her brows with confusion. “Excuse me?”

“I want to hang out with you! Have some girl time, grab a bite, talk about whatever-” The gagging had begun. She swiftly held down her mouth, trying to keep herself steady in the moment. “Just, you know…”

“Are you actually serious?”

Thank god she didn’t question the sudden gag.

“I’m serious, I promise!”

The waitress, wondering to herself if this was happening foreal, shrugged. “I’m free on Sunday.”

Another gag rung up. She coughed it down. “Sunday?  _ Yeah! _ Sounds good. I’ll meet you at the cafe, if that’s ok with you.”

“Are you ok?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine! I think I just, uh, ate something bad last night…”

The waitress didn’t respond to that statement. “Yeah. Um, I’ll meet you there at Sunday then.”

They went their separate ways after that. Dee felt her face hot with embarrassment but also from something funny fluttering inside her.  _ Where those butterflies? _ Aw fuck, this was too much. She rushed to the nearest garbage can and hurled up the butterflies into it.

* * *

 

Dennis stood in front of everyone with his easel of plans written for everyone to see; he was pointing out every word and every step the gang had to take for this one plan to work. 

Mac raised his hands, “Where did the Girl Scout kids come from?”

“Oh, I found them on the streets.”

“Sir, when can I go home?” A younger girl spoke from the group.

Dennis chuckled, “When you start ringing in the dough, sweetie.”

Dee wasn’t invested in it, although the idea was interesting at best. She was rather daydreaming about Sunday. It was gonna be a perfect day, according to the weather guy on the news. Thinking about her sitting across from her thumped in her heart; as monotone as she is she still remained beautiful. Now that the gang had another plan there's a chance it won’t interfere with her date with the waitress. It is only Friday after all.

“Dee?”

She shot her head up. “Huh?”

Frank interfered, “God dammit, Deandra, are you on something?”

“Hey, wait a minute,” Mac included himself, “Dee did you already eat their cookies?”

Dee raised a brow. “No? Are you-are you tainting the cookies with drugs?”

Charlie, with a fat smile, was stuffing his face as he talked, “You’re missing out, this shit is amazing.”

“My mommy told me drugs are bad.” Another young girl spoke.

“Quiet, you brats!” Frank shouted. The girls huddled up in fear.

“Dee, I’m feeling generous, so I’m gonna say it one more time for you.” Dennis stated.

“Don’t even bother; we can get Artemis to do it.” Frank spoke.

Dennis shook his head. He looked over at his sister again and pointed his pointer at her.

“On Sunday you’re gonna chaperone the kids…”

Dennis gave his directions, and although listening, she felt her head clenching together with pressure. She had to dodge the bullet. And somehow she had to dodge any interference with the gang. Regardless, she nodded her head in agreement.

This was going to be a shitshow.

* * *

On that Friday night, Charlie sat on his couch nursing a Coors while Frank picked at his toenails again with a steak knife. Remembering Dee’s odd behavior sparked in his mind. “Frank have you noticed something's up with Dee?”

Frank sat down his knife, “Yeah, but I don’t know what her problem is. I mean, we just came up with a great plan! Why wasn't she bothering to listen?”

Charlie shrugged. He remembered what Dee told him days prior, “ _ I just need to figure some stuff out right now _ ”. She vividly looked depressed in that moment. Maybe hanging out with her might do the trick.

“Hey, hand me another box of those Samoas.”

Charlie tossed the box over to Frank, who smiled graciously upon catching it. They really were amazing cookies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG HI SORRY FOR THE WAIT!!!!!!!!!
> 
> shit is wild in life and sometimes you just cant write anything. but no worries, im here to save the day. i will water the field of lesbian crops to flourish. 
> 
> next chapter is where it all goes down but just enjoy this one while it lasts.


	5. Dee's Got A Date With The Waitress

“So, how have things been?”

“Um...same as always, I guess.”

Not a great conversation starter, but a starter nonetheless.

The cafe was fairly quiet. Only the employees made small rackets to keep themselves busy but every little noise stung at Sweet Dee’s nerves. Her eyes darted to the windows, at the handful of people occupying the shop minding their own business, to the waitress who didn’t peek an eye at her, anything and everything that could signal confrontation. The worst thing that could happen was most likely coming and she had to prepare for it. Her mind was scattered with anxiety, so much so that it made it harder for her to ignite a conversation with the woman across from her. The coffee wasn’t a big help either. She perked up when the waitress spoke.

“Have you been seeing any guys recently?”

She wanted to gag at the thought of it.

“Nope. None that aren’t ugly, at least.”

“God, tell me about it…”

Now the ball was rolling.  
  
“The only thing men are good for are money and sex.” Dee commented. “The latter requires attractiveness only.”

“Right on, sis.” The waitress took a sip of her coffee, maintaining her stone-solid face.

Dee heard her phone ring. As she pulled it out it was of course, out of all people, Charlie trying to call her. She questioned herself whether to answer it or not, looking at her phone screen, to the waitress, then back at her phone. But she answered, “Hello?”

“Dee! Where are you? I don’t see you at the liquor store.”

Dee rolled her eyes. “Are you sure you’re at the right one?”

“I mean,” Charlie couldn’t think of any other liquor stores nearby, unless maybe Dee went out somewhere farther, but that didn’t seem like a possibility. “Artemis is at the other one, so...”

“I’m at the, uh, the one on…” She had to think quick. The waitress wasn’t looking at her, and damn it she wanted her to. Then something flickered out from her mouth, “Wait, oh my god. Charlie I’m being-”

“Dee? What’s going on?”

“Get off of me! Help, somebody help, I’m being kidnapped!” Dee shouted throughout the cafe, swinging her phone back and forth to imitate struggle. The bystanders, including the waitress, gazed at the scene she was making.

“Charlie help!-”

“Dee! Hello, Dee?!”

Dee hung up on him. She slapped her phone face-down and nonchalantly turned her body back towards the waitress. She spied around the cafe to see eyes on them. Although silence ensued, everyone went about their business soon after.

She looked back at Dee, in which she then exhaled a soft laugh, dipping her head down shyly with a smile. “That’s one way to avoid him.”

Dee felt like she was gonna melt in her seat; her smile was so cute and her pretty eyes were gleaming. She frisked her coffee cup to keep her cool. It was then that they started chatting up more, focusing on talking rather than sipping their drinks. After topics ran out and there was no more coffee to drink they agreed to head out.

Before she walked out the door, the waitress turned her body towards Dee. “Hey, I had a really great time talking to you.”

“So did I!” Dee faced her, beaming a smile.

“Can I maybe get your cell so we can hang out again?”

She didn’t hesitate. Dee swiftly added her number to the woman’s phone and handed it back to her. The waitress thanked her, said their goodbyes, and exited the shop to part ways.

The waitress was stunned that Dee was so nice to her. It felt like a dream of some sort. This really couldn’t be real, as that woman was always out to ruin her life, but through her suspicion she sensed that Dee might’ve been genuine. Still, after all that trauma, she couldn’t let her guard down. This was only the beginning.

And while deep in thought, Artemis, with three girl scout troops behind her, spotted her from afar.

“Hey, Waitress!”

She stood her ground as the woman approached her. Although wondering about the little girls standing behind her she didn’t bother to ask.

“Have you seen Dee? Charlie said she was in trouble.”

“Yeah, I…” She paused herself for a moment. Whatever Dee was hiding from didn’t matter; she didn’t want to admit they were hanging out. “I haven’t seen her. Sorry.”

Artemis sighed. “Dammit! Ok, come on girls we’re going back to the bar.”

* * *

Dee didn’t bother to show up and make an excuse to the gang. She laid on her couch drowning in thoughts of the waitress, yet again. She was impressed on how well that date went. It really wasn’t a ‘date’ but it felt like one, unbeknownst to the waitress. She kept her phone close to her chest in hopes she would call her soon. Her voice rang in Sweet Dee’s ear and that only made her seep back into lustful thoughts again. There was no point in feeling shameful; she wanted that woman so badly and no one else was changing her mind. If she was gonna bother to go there again she needed a drink for it. She grabbed a glass and started pouring herself some wine.

Then a knock on the door happened.

She swung her head to the side in response. Ignoring the red heat still glowing on her face, she walked over to the door and took a peek outside.

“Where the _hell_ have you been?!”

The gang of boys stepped inside her home without hesitation. She didn’t prepare for an answer but she didn’t care about her status either. As long as they didn’t suspect she was with the waitress it was fair game.

“Oh, I was almost kidnapped but I got out of there. Then I caught a cab and went shopping.” Dee didn’t understand why they bothered to knock on her door, though. “Why’d you knock on my door if you knew I was potentially kidnapped?”

Charlie spoke up, “Cricket said he spotted you walking on the street.”

Fuck. She had to be more careful; if he’d seen her with the waitress all hell would’ve broken loose. Hopefully all he saw was her walking down the street and nothing more.

“Ok so where are the girls?” Dennis questioned.

Dee shrugged. “They’re somewhere I’m sure.”

The boys groaned in disbelief.

“Son of a bitch, I knew I couldn’t trust her on this…” Frank shook his head with disappointment. “You know, you’ve been acting off Deandra. Why’ve you been avoiding us?”

“I don’t think she’s necessarily avoiding us, she’s just not agreeing to our plans.” Mac pointed out.

“He’s got a point, I mean…” Charlie mumbled, as well as the other boys too, but not Dennis. “Well could you at least tell us why you’re not sticking with us?”

She didn’t prepare an answer for this one. It hit her like a freight train and it manifested through her body language. They stared at her to get a response.

“I don’t think you’ve been treating me right. There.”

“What!?” Their faces scrunched in puzzling looks.

None of it was true but it was working in her favor. She crossed her arms, posing a dominant stance. “You’re abusing me for monetary gain and none of you have yet to give me any rewards for it, so why should I help?”

Frank threw his hands up, “You’re crazy! We’ve rewarded you before!”

“Yeah!” Mac agreed. “For team effort! We all got something from something we did!”

“Ok, fine. You got me! Can you all leave now?”

“Can you at least show up tomorrow so you can help us set up?”

“Set it up for _what_?” Dee frustratingly asked.

“That’s a surprise!” Dennis spoke, and all of the boys agreed.

“Ok! Whatever, just go!”

Dee shoved them out of her apartment, slamming the door shut, and leaned her back against it. She sighed in relief. As long as the waitress doesn’t make plans for tomorrow she can act normal in front of them for the time being.

“I’m telling you guys, she’s hiding something from us!” Charlie preached.

Mac scratched his head. “What could it be though? She doesn’t seem to want to hang out with us but it can’t be _that_ bad.”

“Maybe she’s just sick of our shit, ok?!” Dennis halted the gang with frustration in his tone. “It doesn’t matter! We can do stuff without her!”

“We can’t just replace her.” Frank made a rebuttal. “She has these womanly powers that ties us all together, ya know?”

“I don’t care, Frank. Let’s just keep going and forget about her. She’ll come crying to us when she starts feeling depressed or whatever.”

“That means less pay in her check, right?”

“Oh, absolutely. That’s the kicker.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh god, i cannot apologize enough for my absence. i've been in school trying to pass for the life of me. i havent been motivated to write, and not motivated to do anything at all in general. 5give me.
> 
> i hope this chapter fills that void in your hearts, though. <:3
> 
> happy easter btw!


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